Composite imaging method and system

• US 8,600,191 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zacks, Carolyn A., Telek, Michael J., Harel, Dan, Marino, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): DULANEY, KATHLEEN YUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/975,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20110193972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 382/218, 382/190, 382/282, 382/284, 345/637, 348/584, 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/174 Facial expression recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3872 Repositioning or masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3876 Recombination of partial images to recreate the original image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability

Abstract

In a first aspect of the invention, a method is provided for forming a group image. In accordance with the method, a set of imaging information is obtained depicting a scene over a period of time. Elements in the set of imaging information are distinguished and attributes of the elements in the set of image information are examined. Imaging information is selected from the set of imaging information depicting each element with the selection being made according to the attributes for that element. A group image is formed based upon the set of imaging information with the archival image incorporating the selected image information.

Claims

1. A method for forming a composite image of a scene, the method comprising:

using an imaging device to capture a set of images depicting a scene over a period of time;

acquiring input indicating a desired criterion;

automatically identifying, using a processor, objects and associated elements within the set of images, the elements having attributes corresponding to the desired criterion;

automatically ordering the elements, using the processor, by assigning scores to the elements according to an attribute of the elements relative to the desired criterion, wherein the desired criterion indicates mood or expression including one or more of;

happy, sad, cynical, angry, scared, neutral or smiling;

determining, using the processor, for each image from the set of images a combined score based, at least in part, on the scores from each image'"'"'s elements relative to the desired criterion;

selecting, using the processor, a base image from the set of images, wherein the base image comprises that image from the set of images with the highest combined score;

modifying the base image with one or more of the elements to form a composite image of the scene; and

displaying the composite image on an electronic display or storing the composite image in an electronic storage device.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the processor is remote from the imaging device.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the desired criterion comprises a facial mood or expression with eyes opened.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the imaging device is a digital still camera, a motion image camera, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a hand held tablet, a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a image processing appliance, an internet appliances, or a kiosk.

5. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the remote processor is linked via a network.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the input is acquired from an input device comprising a touch screen input, a 4-way switch, a 6-way switch, an 8-way switch, a stylus system, a trackball system, a joystick system, a voice recognition system, or a gesture recognition system.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the highest score is assigned to the image requiring the least number of image processing steps to be formed into the composite image.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein modifying further comprises:

examining the base image to identify each element that does not have an attribute having the highest score relative to the desired criterion;

determining the highest score for each element of each object relating to the desired criterion from the set of images; and

replacing each element of the base image not having an attribute of the highest score with elements from another of the images having attributes of the highest score relative to the desired criterion,

wherein elements already having attributes of the highest score relative to the desired criterion in the base image are not replaced.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the set of images comprises a set of video images.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

capture, using an imaging device, a set of images depicting a scene over a period of time;

acquire input indicating a desired criterion;

automatically identify objects and associated elements within the set of images, the elements having attributes corresponding to the desired criterion;

automatically order the elements by assigning a scores to the elements according to an attribute of the elements relative to the desired criterion wherein the desired criterion indicates mood or expression including one or more of;

happy, sad, cynical, angry, scared, neutral or smiling;

determine for each image from the set of images a combined score based, at least in part, on the scores from each image'"'"'s elements relative to the desired criterion;

select a base image from the set of images, wherein the base image comprises that image from the set of images with the highest combined score;

modify the base image with one or more of the elements to form a composite image of the scene; and

display or store the composite image.